Tuesday 22 April 2008

Transforming Learning with Tony Ryan


Our day with Tony was about transformation through action. To first recognise and acknowledge that as teachers we matter and already do so much, so well. We are also learners and were challenged by Tony to explore strategies that not only strengthen our professional practice but also our heart and spirit...what actions inspire us every day? On reflection a couple of key messages included focussing our energies on "The Strength to Teach".


Tony Ryan (2008)

Also the importance of promoting thinking...the "capacity to think and create, and to enact solutions, will become the core survival skill in the next decade". An attitude shift here too in terms of how we respond to a problem. "Everyone is on a line from problem to solution" Tony reminds us. What makes the difference are our actions.
Links and resources which have been generously shared by Tony can be accessed from the wiki
Please share your reflections/highlights/thoughts by commenting below.

Also it was wonderful to have the opportunity to farewell Margaret, Principal at Takapuna Primary and acknowledge her contribution to the cluster over the past 2 years. We wish Margaret all the best and thank her for all her support.

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

12 comments:

  1. Tony talked about the pending age of learning
    “The single greatest competency that will ensure your 21st century survival - Be A Learner”
    As educators we are constantly needing to increase our knowledge of teaching and of ourselves as learners.
    I found his continuum useful as I could relate to each level – particularly L2 when I was learning how to use a wiki. L2 is the stage where we need ’just in time’ support. Rather than feeling frustrated and disillusioned it is helpful to recognize this stage and seek help.
    What do you do when you reach this stage with your learning.
    The Learning Continuum
    L1. Low competence, High commitment (The Enthusiast)
    L2. Low / Some competence, Low commitment (The Disillusioned Learner)
    L3. Moderate competence, Variable commitment (The Capable but Cautious)
    L4. High competence, High commitment (High Achiever)

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  2. I found Tony Ryan to be both inspiring and affirming. It was wonderful to spend a day with someone who sees the value of teachers as professionals and recognises the importance of the teaching profession.
    The 3 key messages that I got from the day were:
    1. To be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
    2. To use Tony's resources (e.g. Thinkers Keys) to inject engaging strategies into the learning experiences.
    3. To remember that if teachers are our 'primary culture heroes' (Palmer Parker) then it is vital that I am inspiring, optimistic and a lifelong learner!

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  3. Thought provoking - the biggest challenge as I see it is to prepare our children to be free-thinkers. To be aware of how to think, how others think and to leave schools with the ability to think in many different ways and be able to apply it in their own life. Be doing this we are helping to play our part in setting them up for successful lives and to help solve the myriad of problems our world faces. Be a problem solver, not a creator.

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  4. I really enjoyed this day with Tony Ryan. He is such a charismatic and inspirational speaker. I went away and talked to anyone who would listen about the day, and even took away with me the "life coaching" we did at the end. I'm still implementing the process that I came up with.

    I keep in mind to try and look for the solution of the problem, and not be so hung up on the problem. Staying solution-focused!

    Using the thinking keys and other resources to really enrich the children's learning is proving valuable and enjoyable.

    And, on a complete side-note, I have also been sharing the chicken and the egg joke with all and sundry.

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  5. The workshop with Tony Ryan was specific and meaningful. So many of his ideas are relevant to daily living and problem solving relevant to the learner and the teacher.
    I am grateful for his sharing of ideas and his generous permission to use his ideas and expand them to make them more meaningful for individuals.
    A great mentor

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  6. It was good to revisit the 80/20 concept and reflect on how our time is used.
    Tony was effective at making us look at our planning and think about identifying/ clarifying our fertile questions.
    We left feeling that he revitalised our approach to teaching.
    The visuals were engaging and the humour kept us involved.
    Stephen, Anne & Margaret

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  7. I really liked the way Tony kept us engaged and accountable for how we were participating in the session. He gave us many useful ideas but the one idea that has made a real difference to my teaching was that he told us we should look over our notes a couple of days later( which I did) and include ideas in our planning for the first week back in Term 2. Having reminded myself and used these ideas straight away in the first week they are now being integrated regularly into the classroom programme.

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  8. I found Tony to be inspiring. I learned about the 80:20 rule, and the importance of using our time effectively. I enjoyed revisiting and practising some life coaching strategies. You are what you think! It was good to have some things confirmed like the fact that teachers "deal with the overflow of society's issues". We are teachers, mothers/fathers, nurses, counsellors etc etc. Practising abandonment is an important survival strategy. It is also positive and refreshing to see the problem as a solution in waiting. Tony also highlighted the importance of seeking inspiration and wanting to be a life long learner.

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  9. Tony modelled some great strategies to keep people engaged, ones that can be used by teachers working with students in classrooms or when leading others during staff meetings. Motivating learners to be actively involved and positive about their learning was a key message. Reminding each other to keep being solution-focused is always helpful. We have looked critically at our planning, aiming to add the 'intellectual quality' into it and debating what the key aspects to effective planning are.

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  10. I really enjoyed this meeting. As a beginning teacher it was very encouraging and worthwhile. I took away with me the following key points:
    That quality teaching matters
    Learning is constant – people are learning more, quicker
    We need to teach more efficiently – 80/20 rule
    You are what you think

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  11. I could not think of a better way to spend a 'call back day' than working with Tony Ryan. In the Senior Syndicate at Sunnybrae we have included many of Tony's strategies in our planning this term, 'Going Shopping' and the Handwriting rubric to name just a few (they really do motivate the children). I also read Tony's book 'The Ripple Effect' during the holidays and purchased a copy for our Parent Library as it has lots of common sense ideas for use on a daily basis.

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  12. The day spent with Tony was inspiring! He used some fantastic strategies to keep us all engaged. It was great to revisit the 80/20 rule and think more about using time effectively. It was also valuable to look critically at our planning and identify questions that would motivate learners to be actively and positively involved in their own learning.

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